Aquinas’ Sermon Notes On John 16:16-22

EVERLASTING JOY.
Third Sunday after Easter.
“The world shall rejoice, and ye shall be sorrowful, hut your sorrow
shall be turned into joy.” — John 16:20.

Three things are noted in these words:

Firstly, the foolishness of the worldly, “The world will rejoice: ” Eccles 2:2, “I said of laughter, It is mad : and of mirth, What doeth it?””

Secondly, the wisdom of the saints ; ” Ye shall be sorrowful :” Eccles 7:4, ” The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning : but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

Thirdly, the future song of the saints, “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy:” Luke 6:21, “Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.”

I. On the first head it is to be noted, that three things shew the joy of the worldly to be foolish—

(1) The time, for thepresent is not the time of rejoicing but of weeping : Eccles 3:4, ” A time to weep and a time to laugh.” The time of weeping is put first, to indicate that the present is this time, a time to laugh is added afterwards to signify that the future will be the time of joy ; for now, indeed, is the time of weeping and of mourning over sins.

(2) That this world is a place of sadness, and not of joy : Ps 83:6-7, (Vulgate), ” In his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps in a vale of tears, in the place which he hath set.” Judg 2:1, ” An angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim,” i.e., the ” place of weepers.”

(3) They joy in evil : Prov 2:14, ” Who rejoice to do evil.” The foolishness of the joy of the worldly is sufficiently manifest, since they rejoice in a time of sadness, in a place of misery, in the doing evil. S. Austin, ” What is the joy of this world ? say briefly, unchasteness, worthlessness, consideringly to cheat, to do that which is base, to be gorged with feasting.”

II. On the second head it is to be noted, that the wise are
sad for three reasons —

(1) By sadness the evil of man is corrected: Eccles 7:3, ” By the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.”

(2) By momentary sadness man escapes eternal torment. S.Greg. Mag., “The Saints regard this present life as a gain, because by this they know that they will not escape eternal life ;” Nahum 1:13, “I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.”

(3) By a mean measure of justice they acquire eternal joys: 2 Cor 4:17-18, “For our tight affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.”

III. On the third head it is to be noted, that the future joys of the saints are said to consist of three things —

(1) In the consolation of the Divine Presence : ” I will see you again.” S. Augustine, ” Lastly, there will be God Himself, Who will be all in all, Who will be to us salvation, honour, and glory, and joy, and every good:” Gen 15:1, “I am thy exceeding great reward.”